Don't Tell Me (Blancmange song)
"Don't Tell Me" is a song by British synth-pop duo Blancmange, released in 1984 as the third single from their second studio album Mange Tout. Written by Neil Arthur and Stephen Luscombe, and produced by Peter Collins,[2] "Don't Tell Me" reached No. 8 in the UK and remained in the charts for ten weeks.[3] A music video was filmed in Valencia to promote the single.[4]
"Don't Tell Me" | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
![]() | ||||
Single by Blancmange | ||||
from the album Mange Tout | ||||
B-side | "Get Out of That" | |||
Released | March 1984[1] | |||
Genre | Synthpop | |||
Length | 3:28 | |||
Label | London Records Sire Records (US) | |||
Songwriter(s) | Neil Arthur, Stephen Luscombe | |||
Producer(s) | Peter Collins | |||
Blancmange singles chronology | ||||
|
Critical reception
Upon release, Debbi Voller of Number One stated: "Blancmange are back with a joyous and uplifting romp that could make them the flavour of the month. This song's so bouncy it sounds as if [it was] recorded on a highly sprung trampoline."[5] Tom Hibbert of Smash Hits commented: "Neil Arthur sings of climbing mountains, touching skies and other unlikely physical feats to an energetic electro-pop backing that, if not thoroughly satisfying, contains a certain perky appeal."[6] Billboard considered the song to have "an engaging melody with jagged and exotic studio effects".[7]
In a retrospective review of Mange Tout, Bill Cassel of AllMusic considered the song to be "nigh irresistible".[2] Paul Scott-Bates of Louder Than War described the song as "poppy and catchy" with a "towering chorus". He added that it "maybe came the closest to repeating the Eastern sound of "Living on the Ceiling"."[8]
Track listing
- 7" single
- "Don't Tell Me" – 3:28
- "Get Out of That" – 4:22
- 12" single
- "Don't Tell Me" – 6:28
- "Get Out of That" – 4:22
- 12" single (US release)
- "Don't Tell Me (Extended Version)" – 6:22
- "Don't Tell Me (Edit)" – 3:28
- "Get Out of That" – 4:22
- 12" single (US promo)
- "Don't Tell Me (Remix)" – 6:45
- "Don't Tell Me (Remix Edit)" – 3:09
Chart performance
Chart (1984) | Peak position |
---|---|
Belgian Singles Chart[9] | 35 |
Canadian RPM Top 100[10] | 48 |
Dutch Singles Chart[11] | 26 |
German Singles Chart[12] | 34 |
Irish Singles Chart[13] | 10 |
Swiss Singles Chart[14] | 27 |
UK Singles Chart[3] | 8 |
US Billboard Hot Dance/Disco[15] | 44 |
Personnel
- Blancmange
- Neil Arthur – lead vocals
- Stephen Luscombe – keyboards, synthesizers
- Additional personnel
- Deepak Khazanchi - sitar on "Don't Tell Me"
- Pandit Dinesh - Tabla and Madal on "Don't Tell Me"
- David Rhodes - guitar on "Get Out of That"
- Rick Phylip-Jones - double bass on "Get Out of That"
- Production
- Peter Collins - producer of "Don't Tell Me"
- Julian Mendelsohn - engineer on "Don't Tell Me"
- John Luongo - producer of "Get Out of That"
- Harvey Goldberg, Mark Kamins - remixing on "Don't Tell Me (Remix)" and "Don't Tell Me (Remix Edit)"
- Other
- Simon Fowler - photography
References
- "Blancmange - Don't Tell Me / Get Out Of That - London - UK - BLANC 7". 45cat. Retrieved 2018-10-21.
- AllMusic Review by Bill Cassel (1984-05-24). "Mange Tout - Blancmange | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 2018-10-21.
- "BLANCMANGE | full Official Chart History | Official Charts Company". Officialcharts.com. Retrieved 2018-10-21.
- "INTERMITTENT SIGNALS: From Blind Vision to Blanc Burn - An Interview with Blancmange's Neil Arthur". Stevestav.com. 2011-05-09. Retrieved 2018-10-21.
- Number One - Singles - Debbi Voller - 7 April 1984 - page 32
- Smash Hits - Singles - Tom Hibbert - 12 April 1984
- Billboard magazine - Singles Reviews - May 12, 1984 - page 56
- "Blancmange: Mange Tout Deluxe Edition - album review". Louder Than War. 2017-07-30. Retrieved 2018-10-21.
- "Blancmange - Don't Tell Me". ultratop.be. Retrieved 2018-10-21.
- "Item: 4137 - Library and Archives Canada". Bac-lac.gc.ca. Retrieved 2018-10-21.
- Steffen Hung. "Blancmange - Don't Tell Me". dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved 2018-10-21.
- Steffen Hung. "Blancmange - Don't Tell Me". germancharts.de. Retrieved 2018-10-21.
- Jaclyn Ward - Fireball Media Group - http://www.fireballmedia.ie. "The Irish Charts - All there is to know". Irishcharts.ie. Retrieved 2018-10-21.
{{cite web}}
: External link in
(help)|author=
- Steffen Hung. "Blancmange - Don't Tell Me". hitparade.ch. Retrieved 2018-10-21.
- Billboard. "Blancmange Don't Tell Me Chart History". Billboard. Archived from the original on October 21, 2018. Retrieved 2018-10-21.